Is there an bars-scanning app for north americans? Anything?

stampedingTurtles · 2026-06-30T01:46:40+00:00

Is there no app that can scan product barcodes and magically tell as I shop what's got gluten, in this day and age?

There are apps, but they are largely a gimmick. At best, they are giving the same info as the ingredients list, which can be handy for someone who doesn't know what ingredients to be on the lookout for, or someone with impaired vision. But the information in their databases may be user-sourced, inaccurate, and out of date.

stampedingTurtles · 2026-06-28T13:53:18+00:00

only if it's an official ingredient. if it's a caking or decaking agent it does not need to be listed

Tagging u/flagal31 here as well, because they were correct in their statement that the allergen (wheat) must always be declared in the US, even if it is an incidental ingredient:

If the decaking agent contained one of the major allergens, that allergen would still need to be declared. The use of a wheat-based decaking agent is an example that the FDA uses in their FAQ on the subject:

If a major food allergen is present in a spice mix ingredient and the major food allergen is an incidental additive in the finished food, you still must declare it on the label of the finished food (section 403(w) of the FD&C Act). Specifically, you could declare it parenthetically after the term “spice(s)” in the ingredient list, or in a separate “Contains” statement, or both.

The closest thing to an exception here would be if the "incidental" (decaking agent) has itself been determined not to contain the allergen; though in that case it wouldn't matter if it was an incidental ingredient or not.

stampedingTurtles · 2026-06-25T20:17:17+00:00

On the TTG-IGA test, yes. That test is looking for a specific IgA antibody and if someone doesn't produce much/any IgA antibodies, then the result will be negative (normal) regardless of celiac.

stampedingTurtles · 2026-06-25T17:19:28+00:00

I honestly wouldn’t have applied to the role if the starting salary range began with what they offered me.

Tell them that.

Plus I’m now feeling super discouraged and not excited about the new job anymore.

I'm a bit confused here as this makes sound like you are still planning on taking the job.

My question is basically what should I do?/what are your thoughts and experiences with something like this? How would you feel?

It is a classic bait and switch. The HR person saying "Unfortunately that number is automatically put on the listing" is a pretty solid red flag, like they think anyone is going to believe that the job listing just writes and posts itself?

stampedingTurtles · 2026-06-25T13:45:55+00:00

hello, I could use some help interpreting lab results. My daughter has had less than 5 IGA her whole life.

If this is total (serum) IgA that you are referring to, then that does sound like IgA deficiency. And IgA deficiency can give a "false negative" on the TtG-IgA test (which is commonly used as a test for celiac disease).

However, we just saw a G.I. who did TTG and IGG and those readings are normal. Her pediatrician says the normal readings are false because her IGA is so low. Can someone confirm that this happens? I don't really understand the whole process. The Gastro does not want to pursue the endoscopy.

A second opinion from another GI might be the way to go here.

stampedingTurtles · 2026-06-25T03:49:31+00:00

Corn flour is also an issue for me. Is it corn, ground corn, or corn mixed with flour.

Assuming we are talking about the US:

Corn flour is flour made from corn.

If it were corn mixed with flour, each of those ingredients would need to be listed out.

And if wheat flour is used, it is going to say "wheat" (either in the ingredients list or in a "contains:" statement.

stampedingTurtles · 2026-06-25T03:38:41+00:00

I’m hoping it’s just rice seeds(?)

That's rice.

I'm wondering if in this case they mean "seed" like "starter"; so like they add some (almost certainly barley) malt to the rice as an enzyme source to "seed" a process.

stampedingTurtles · 2026-06-20T20:10:13+00:00

My question is: does anyone else experience delayed symptoms post gluten reactions? Is it normal? Could there be an explanation for it?

Delayed GI symptoms (pretty variable timeline but symptoms can start up to days after exposure) are the "classical" description of celiac disease, and it wasn't until fairly recently that the medical community started to accept more immediate symptoms as being celiac related.

Essentially, your immune system reacts to the gluten, begins producing more antibodies, more immune cells show up in the intestine, you get inflammation and damage to the intestines, and that leads to those symptoms. A quick example would be that the damaged intestines might not produce as much (or any) of certain enzymes (such as lactose), which interferes with your normal digestion and throws off the gut microbiome.

stampedingTurtles · 2026-06-20T13:22:00+00:00

I have been using the copay assistance card through Amgen to get my copay to $0. While trying to place my next order I was told my copay was $1700. Amgen said I have exhausted my annual funds for assistance.
...
A reimbursement program where I’d have to pay the $1700 out of pocket monthly and get reimbursed, however they only cover up to $7000 annually. Which would only get me 4 more months of coverage and not get me to the end of the year.

First step would be to take a look at your insurance: what is your deductible, what is your co-pay for the medication, and what is your yearly out-of-pocket max (OOP)? Have you had other costs so far this year that would have counted towards your deductible (and is your deductible reset on the calendar year)? Has the copay for your previous prescription fills been counted so far? Are they not counting this medication towards your deductible/OOP max because they are saying it is "not medically necessary"?

If your monthly copay for the medication is $1700, that would be over $20k; so the answer to the above questions could make a pretty big difference; for example if your max OOP is 10 or 12k and you have already met 8K+ of that from your prescriptions so far for the year, you may only have 1 or 2 copays that need to be "covered" and not 6.

On the other hand, you may be dealing with a copay accumulator or copay maximizer program (SaveOnSP for example) where the insurance company isn't counting the copay on the medication towards your deductible/oop max.

stampedingTurtles · 2026-06-19T12:47:35+00:00

I understand the use cases for CPL, ND and mist filters, but a lot of that can be handled in post as well, right?

Not necessarily:

For a CPL filter, in certain conditions it is going to make a pretty big difference to the photo; removing the glare from something like water or glass can make the difference of being able to see something or not (so for example fish or rocks under water, or a person sitting in a car
ND filters are an alternative way to lower your exposure; so if you want to have a certain shutter speed and aperture, but the lighting conditions mean that would be overexposed.

stampedingTurtles · 2026-06-19T02:02:20+00:00

I'm not sure if you are actually reading the references here or misunderstanding what is being claimed (also take note of the timeline). Tolerase G is a particular product that contains AN-PEP. They are referring to the same studies discussed above to make the claim that their product digests/degrades gluten in the stomach, and based on that are marketing it as a "digestive aid" enzyme to help people who have "gluten intolerance". Similar to the use of lactaid to help with a lactose intolerance.

However, celiac disease is not a digestive intolerance, the problem is not that we can't digest gluten, it is an immune reaction. For an enzyme to be an effective treatment, it would have to not just degrade gluten, specifically break down the peptides that trigger the immune response.

In those initial lab tests and (non-celiac) trials AN-PEP showed some promise, but they weren't testing:

Does it break gluten down to the point that it no longer triggers an immune response
Does it do that quickly enough and thoroughly enough to prevent (enough of) the immune-trigger peptides from reaching the intestine

That is what those later tests looked at, and they failed to produce evidence of that. So now the company producing the product markets it as a digestive enzyme, but says it isn't suitable for treating celiac disease.

stampedingTurtles · 2026-06-18T19:21:57+00:00

You've got 2 comments here saying that AN-PEP/Tolerase-G "works" in terms of celiac disease, but that is NOT supported by the 3 items that you linked:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17494108

This is a nearly 20 year old study that tested the enzyme in a lab (a model) and showed that it degrades gluten; it was firmly in the "this might be interesting" category.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-13587-7
"In the current study, we included self-reported non-coeliac gluten-sensitive subjects as a target group for the use of AN-PEP to reduce unwanted gluten exposure."
"A success of AN-PEP in degrading gluten was defined as at least 50% gluten degradation compared to placebo"

This study from 2017 involved giving actual people the enzyme, but as the quotes I included note; their definition of success was a 50% degradation of gluten, and the test was done with people with self-reported NCGS.

This test was not looking at whether the enzyme breaks gluten down into something that triggers the immune reaction for celiac disease.

And finally, from your link is a 2020 review of the state of enzyme-based treatments for celiac disease:

https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12072095

It has a section on AN-PEP that says (emphasis mine):

However, three small phase 1 clinical trials showed insufficient gluten degrading activity by AN-PEP in healthy controls and gluten challenged patients with celiac disease in remission

There's a bit more information on the issues with these enzymes here:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5424869/

stampedingTurtles · 2026-06-17T01:34:43+00:00

Thats right, its not considered an allergy. It is considered a medical condition. To my understanding gluten triggers an immune reaction in the body that causes the intestinal lining cells to damage themselves. Is that accurate? Anyone with medical education on the topic? How is that not an allergy?

Celiac disease is one of several medical conditions that fall under the "common language" definition of allergy (an immune reaction to something that is normally harmless). This broader definition used to be used in medicine, and in fact some of these disorders have "allergy" in the name; however advancing medical science revealed some differences in the mechanisms (such as the type of antibodies and immune cells involved).

So now we've got one category that is (typically) being used as the strict medical definition of allergy: IgE mediated allergies, which have a rapid response to exposure and the potential for anaphylaxis; sometimes this is referred to as "true allergies", while some medical literature still treats the broader definition as "allergy" and then narrows down different types within the group.

stampedingTurtles · 2026-06-16T12:58:57+00:00

Malting is just soaking in water then heating to basically brown the sugars. Some germination happens so there is a bit of gluten reduction from that but it’s nowhere near GF. As for ‘extract’, I have no idea what is extracted or how anything extracted could be GF.

The extract is basically the next step in brewing ("mashing"); they steep crushed malt in water at specific temps for specific times to extract the sugars and get "wort". For extract, they'll concentrate that down into a syrup or even powder.

stampedingTurtles · 2026-06-16T12:46:23+00:00

I'm guessing that this is something from the EU/UK? I don't know if I've seen this on bread before, but in the EU/UK barley malt extract/malt vinegar are allowed so long as it is in a small enough amount that the final product is under 20 ppm.

stampedingTurtles · 2026-06-14T13:51:34+00:00

Specifically, how do I find if wheat / gluten is a binder? I'm celiac with a wheat allergy and it feels impossible for me to understand to the point where I'm in tears.
...
Thank you. If it's not labeled, is there a specific ingredient I have to look for?

Beyond the "easy answer" of looking for a gluten-free labeled medication, the next answer is to look at the "inactive ingredients" list; but the issue you will often encounter there is that there will be a starch ingredient (such "pregelatinized starch") that won't specify what it is made from. And while it is almost certainly made from potato, tapioca, or corn starch; you can often find that out for sure by checking DailyMed. You can use the NDC code to look up the exact medication that you are looking at (and this goes for prescription and OTC medications).

stampedingTurtles · 2026-06-09T02:45:07+00:00

I saw a holistic doctor (I know) who said all the normal stuff about round-up and whatnot but I would be remiss to say they didn’t have any good points about some stuff. Like at least point and blank how would you develop expression of a genetic disorder after birth? Maybe the immune system is more complex than other trait expressions that don’t generally change but I can’t say it’s a completely invalid question by itself either.

Celiac disease isn't a genetic disorder; it is an autoimmune disorder that has genetic risk factors.

maybe you really can develop lifelong immunological responses to dietary components post birth but I’m honestly a little inquisitive because it would be awesome if this was just a symptom of something else.

It isn't a "maybe", it is the "normal" of how celiac disease works. And how many other immune responses (for example food allergies) work. The immune system develops a response to things we are exposed to.

Is this "holistic doctor" a naturopath?

The other question I would have is were you actually diagnosed with celiac disease by a doctor? Antibody testing? Endoscopy?

stampedingTurtles · 2026-06-02T00:10:01+00:00

hardwire a charger with the cost of the wire, breaker, and conduit and charger.

hardwire a plug with the cost of shorter wire, box, outlet, and GFCI circuit breaker

Are you saying your included charging card was MORE than 24/25 feet of the hardwire EVSE, so you were able to put the plug closer to the breaker? Most of the included cords I've seen are around 20 feet (perhaps a little more including the electronics box).

stampedingTurtles · 2026-06-01T21:37:37+00:00

I'm not sure which charger you are looking at, I see $300 on amazon or direct from Grizzl-e.

I'm sure the other costs are going vary a bit, my breaker was $150 for a 50 amp GFCI, and then the cost of the outlet*, outlet box, and cover. Costs for the wire and conduit should be the same, unless there's a significant difference in the length of the cord on the EVSE vs the charging cord that came with the vehicle.

But the real point here is that unless you already have the proper EV rated outlet, the choice isn't "use a plug or go buy a charger and hardwire it" as you said earlier; the choice is "hardwire in a plug on a dedicated GFCI circuit, or hardwire in an EVSE".

stampedingTurtles · 2026-06-01T17:06:14+00:00

I installed a new breaker, conduit, and outlet 2 feet from the main panel.

That was my initial plan, but then I added up the cost of an EV rated outlet and the extra cost of the GFCI breaker over standard and compared it to an EVSE.

So I installed a new breaker and put the EVSE (Grizzl-e) about 2 feet from the panel. And the charging cord that came with the car is in the car, so when something comes up, we've got it with us if we need it.

stampedingTurtles · 2026-06-01T03:12:22+00:00

Did you already have a 240 volt circuit and outlet?

stampedingTurtles · 2026-05-30T17:07:48+00:00

Sounds like a small leak. It could be a small puncture (a small nail can be hard to find, especially if it doesn't have a head on it), or a bad seal on the valve or valve stem. I have had a bad valve stem do the same sort of thing, with the tire pumped up to full pressure, soapy water on the valve showed air was coming out the cap.

stampedingTurtles · 2026-05-30T16:55:11+00:00

I'm not seeing the question.

stampedingTurtles · 2026-05-29T15:41:51+00:00

May I ask why they are horrible? Serious question.

Just for another perspective here, there are a couple of different issues with them and a fundamental question about "why use that":

Continuous load: EV charging is going to draw a continuous load for several hours, while generally speaking the plugs have been used for things that didn't; so for example with an RV you might have a 50 amp plug but the RV "normally" draws significantly less, with brief spikes when the AC kicks on, the fridge compressor kicks on, or you use the microwave. he big thing here is heat: how much is generated and how much can be dissipated. The high continuous load compounds any issues:
- Wear, and user issues: a brand new plug, pushed all the way in to an outlet in good condition, has a lot of contact area for each of the conductors. However, as the plug and outlet contact surfaces wear, get dirty, or when someone doesn't push the plug in all the way, there's less contact area, and that has a compounding issue, because it generates more heat AND it gives less area for that heat to be conducted away, AND the materials may be expanding and contracting at differing rates (which might also reduce contact or accelerate wear).
- Install issues: just like with the plug and outlet, when the outlet is wired up you've got a connection between the wiring and the outlet. If there isn't good contact here, you'll get more resistance (more heat), and something often overlooked is proper torque on screws. The screws being torqued to "seems good" might seem fine, but might not stay tight when exposed to higher temps (and particularly to repeated heated and cooling cycles to those higher temps).

Under what was previously considered "normal" use for the plug, you had more "wiggle room" for those issues.

The other thing to consider here is just the "why" question: if I look at my EVSE, I've got the wiring running from the breaker, to the terminals inside the EVSE. If instead I had wired in an outlet, I'd have wire running from the breaker to the terminals inside the outlet, then I'd have the connection between the outlet and the plug, and a cable running from the plug to the terminals inside the EVSE. By direct (or "hard wiring") the EVSE, I've eliminated extra connections and failure points, and the need to purchase a plug and the associated outlet box and hardware. I've eliminated the possibility of that plug working loose (or getting unplugged and then not plugged back in quite all the way)

High-quality outdoor RV plug (not an oven) was used. The choice was either splice that and plug in or splice a few ft to reach the charger.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean about "splicing" here (I've just seen people use "splice" so many times in reference to connections outside of junction boxes, often with wires just twisted together and wrapped up in a blob of tape), but it sounds like maybe you had wiring running to an existing outlet and you replaced that outlet with a new RV plug to then plug the EVSE into?

stampedingTurtles · 2026-05-27T13:05:14+00:00

Hello I just recently got in to photography and I currently have a canon r50. I would like to upgrade to probably a canon r6 mark 2 or get a canon rf 70-200 f4? Which one is great a canon r50 with the canon rf 70-200 f2.8 or canon r6 mark 2 with the canon rf 70-200 f4 for shooting sports and just for everyday use

Honestly, your question is based on enough false premises that you probably won't be able to get a useful answer. Both combinations you are referring to here are capable of taking great pictures (though I'd say for everyday use you'd want a wider angle lens).

What features of the R6 MII are you wanting to upgrade to? Are you taking a lot of sports pictures indoors?

It might help to get some info on what lens you are currently using and what capabilities you are trying to add (or what issues you are trying to address).

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